Sandy Botham out as head women's coach

Milwaukee - Chancellor Michael Lovell sent out a press release today informing the public that head women's basketball coach Sandy Botham would be leaving her role for a new one with Alumni Relations.

Botham leaves as Milwaukee and the Horizon League's all-time winningest coach. She won the conference coach of the year award three times, and led the Panthers to two NCAA Tournaments following two conference tournament titles.

"I have loved coaching, but am ready to move on and open this new chapter of my life in service to this university," Botham told UWMPanthers.com. "I've seen the great work our students do on and off the basketball court. Now, with the Alumni Relations, I will have the opportunity to connect with our amazing graduates everywhere."

Jimmy's take:

This is something that had to happen. Sandy is the program's all-time winningest coach, but the past four years have been fairly ho-hum. The high point was an OT loss to Wisconsin and victory over Marquette. The low point was repeated blowouts at the hands of Green Bay.

I don't mean to toot our own horn, but there's no way that Milwaukee should be near the bottom of the conference in any sport. In sixteen years, the Panthers went to the tournament twice. That number is far outpaced by both soccer programs, volleyball, and others.

That said, I am ecstatic that UWM has found a place to keep Sandy Botham on staff. She is the school's best cheerleader, and you know I value that trait very much. There is no one better equipped to do the leg work in raising money for the basketball arena.

Where an athletic director or administrator may not be entirely knowledgable of the project or a development official may not understand the athletics side of the project, Sandy Botham has the tools to walk into any living room in Wisconsin and tell potential donors exactly what this arena can do for a basketball program.

That's not something that Chancellor Lovell should take lightly, and although most of what Alumni Relations does is on the fun side (I seriously enjoyed working for them in an internship during Spring 2010), Sandy should be a point person in soliciting funds for the basketball arena.

Botham's contract with the university ran for two more seasons, but it is unclear whether or not that was changed to reflect Botham's new position.

Milwaukee will likely draw a large and talented pool of potential head coaches to replace the legend Sandy Botham. Heads on the list is former assistant and lead recruiter John Motherwell, who recruited much of the talent on the team and reflects a different style of basketball than Botham, so he might be able to shake things up. Other names include Green Bay assistant and guru of the Buzz defense Mike Divilbiss, Central Michigan assistant Mahogany Green, and Kevin Borseth's associate head coach at Michigan, Dawn Plitzuweit. Names brought up by the rumor mill include former Michigan assistant John Barnes and Detroit assistant Mike Geary.